no proof, one touch
by androidilenya
Summary: Umi walks into the pet shop that Kotori works at and nothing is the same afterwards. Featuring Honoka as sorta-matchmaker and Umi being very awkward all the time. (From one of those lists of AUs on tumblr.)


**I... pet shop AU?**

**Partially also belatedly for Cronomon's birthday because I show love for my friends by throwing anime lesbians at them.**

* * *

"I didn't know you had a dog."

"Of course I do." Honoka smiled brightly, waving a scrap of paper at her friend. "And it only accepts treats from this very specific pet store, okay?"

Umi frowned. "It?"

"She," Honoka swiftly corrected herself. "_She_ likes these treats. Only these treats. So do me a favor and go out there and buy some?"

Umi accepted the note with a distinct feeling of foreboding. Honoka had that _look_ in her eyes. "Why do I get the feeling there's something else going on?"

"Not at all. Nope. That'd be ridiculous." Honoka checked her watch, eyes widening. "Oh no – I have to run!" She dashed off in a blur of red hair, and Umi was left blinking, a little dazed.

She looked down at the note in her hand, the name of the store written Honoka's bold handwriting. "Special Pets Pet Store, huh."

* * *

"Hello, and welcome to Special Pets Pet Store!" the girl at the counter greeted her cheerfully the instant the soft chime of the bell indicated that the door had opened.

Umi froze, one hand still on the handle, and the frantic thought flashed through her mind that it still wasn't too late to turn and run.

_No_. She had to buy Honoka's dog a treat. A dog she had never heard of before today but that apparently existed.

This was for her friend.

She could deal with talking to someone for her friend.

"H – hi," she ventured, making her way up to the counter on unsteady feet. The girl continued to smile at her, grey hair flopping over her forehead as she nodded.

"Hello! Is there something I can help with today?"

"No," Umi blurted out, and then felt her face go all hot. "I mean. I mean yes, I need a—" She gave up and shoved the paper across the counter. To avoid meeting the girl's eyes, she looked around the shop – mice sleeping in a glass cage near the door, a parrot scratching at the straw in the bottom of its cage, bundles of cat and dog food stacked on the shelves. From the back, down a wide hallway, came the distant sound of barking.

"We've got this treat," the girl said, jolting Umi out of her reverie. "Come with me?" She stepped around the counter, skirt swishing, and Umi followed her down one of the aisles. There were more types of dog treats than she had ever known existed, made of beef jerky and peanut butter and other strange things packaged in brightly colored containers.

"Here you go."

Umi accepted the box. "Thank you."

They went back up to the counter, Umi clutching the box of dog treats tightly. Her palms were awfully sweaty, for some reason, but she didn't want to risk wiping them on her shirt.

"I'm Minami Kotori, by the way," the girl said abruptly, rummaging in the coin drawer for her change and pushing the treats across the counter at her.

It took her a second to realize that a response was expected. "Um. Sonoda Umi?" No, that sounded like too much of a question. Too late to take it back, though. "Nice to meet you, Kotori-san."

"Nice to meet you!" And she smiled, wide and bright. Umi felt something tighten strangely in her chest, and fled the shop as quickly as she could, plastic bag rustling in her wake, pursued by the door chime.

* * *

She went back the next day.

There was no logical reason to – she'd gotten the treat, made a complete fool of herself, that should've been it.

But she'd rushed out fairly quickly, and she really didn't want to seem rude. Kotori seemed like a nice girl, and Umi was afraid that she'd been offended by her awkward exit... and so going back to apologize was _perfectly_ reasonable.

It wasn't until she pushed open the shop door that it occurred to her that Kotori might not even be on duty today – but the grey-haired girl was leaning on the counter and looked up when Umi edged in, trying not to set off the bell.

"Hello!"

Umi jumped a little, and the door swung shut with a bang. "Um. Hi?"

"Umi-san, right?"

_She remembered,_ Umi thought, and nodded. "That's me." It sounded incredibly stupid once she said it, but Kotori just nodded solemnly.

"Back again so soon, huh? Is there something you need?"

Umi's mind went blank. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out save for a soft whimper.

Kotori looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I want to get a dog," Umi blurted out. _Wait. No. No that wasn't what I planned to do._

But Kotori's face broke into a brilliant smile. "Great!" she said, plowing over Umi's faint noise of protest. "Because we run a shelter, along with the shop. I mean, you probably knew that already, but anyways. There's this _adorable_ dog you've just got to meet – here, I'll show you––"

Umi scratched her head helplessly. "Sure?"

* * *

She left the shelter holding the leash on a chestnut-brown mutt that came up to her knees and nipped at her ankles whenever Kotori turned her back.

"Don't forget to contact that vet I told you about," Kotori said briskly, handing Umi a form to sign. "Your dog's all up to date on everything, but yearly checkups are important. And here are some coupons for dog food."

Umi nodded, trying to look like she knew anything about what she was doing.

A dog. She didn't know _anything_ about caring for a dog.

* * *

"Hey. Okay. This can work out just fine." Umi stared down at her new dog, hands on her hips. "There are a few rules in this house. No sleeping on my bed. No sleeping on the couch. No eating my food. You've got your own bowl, I've got mine, we'll stay out of each other's way because I've got no idea how to – how to pets."

The dog lifted its leg against the table and started to pee. Umi buried her face in her hands.

This wasn't going to work.

* * *

About an hour later, she dialed her friend's number. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You've got a dog, right?"

A brief beat of silence, and then a completely unconvincing, "Yeah, I sure do!"

"So how do you take care of a dog?" As if it knew she was talking about it, the dog started nosing at her knee, wet nose quivering. Umi pushed it aside as gently as she could with one foot.

"Um." Honoka cleared her throat. "Why do you ask?"

"Never mind _why_, just – how?"

"You take dogs for walks," Honoka began uncertainly. "Once or twice a day. And you give it pet food."

"You don't really have a dog, do you," Umi accused.

"Well. Funny you should say such a thing."

Umi hung up.

* * *

The next day, she cornered Honoka, frowning. "Did you try to set me up with the pet shop girl?"

"Huh?" Honoka grinned through a mouthful of bread. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I've been thinking about it, and there's no other reasonable explanation. You clearly don't have a dog, so unless your little sister's suddenly into dog treats..."

Honoka tilted her head to one side. "Did it work? Do you think Kotori-san is cute?"

"I – what?" She blushed, and tried to cover it up by frowning furiously. "No."

"Oh, that's a pity. Is she not your type?"

"What?"

"Because I honestly thought––"

"_What_?"

"Do you need help?" Honoka grabbed her hands, suddenly intense. "I can help you get a date with her."

"Stop."

"I can. Seriously. Anything is possible if you just put your mind to it, okay?"

* * *

_Hey, Kotori, want to go see a movie with me?_

Umi put her hand on the door handle and took a deep breath. The lost pet ads that papered the glass surface fluttered as she yanked the door open.

_Are you free on Friday? There's a movie showing downtown that I think––_

Kotori glanced up the instant the bell jingled. "Hey there," she greeted Umi. "How's the dog?"

Umi's mouth was dry. She swallowed a couple times, then nodded. "Great."

"Are you here to pick up some dog food?"

_Okay. Just go for it. Ask her if she wants to see a movie._

Kotori continued to look expectantly at her, but Umi's voice seemed to have stopped working.

_Movie._

"Um," she said.

_At least maybe ask if she _likes_ movies._

Instead, what came out of her mouth was, "I'd like another dog."

* * *

It was probably not proper pet shop employee procedure to let some random stranger adopt two dogs in a row, but Kotori just blinked once or twice and then smiled widely and showed Umi back into the shelter area.

She left with a ball of white fluff clutched in her arms, mostly because it seemed way too small to walk on its own.

"I'm not going to give up," she told the dog as she walked home, and got a soft yip in return. "I'm trying again. Honestly."

* * *

"What's this?" Honoka blinked at her, looking faintly alarmed. "Umi, you have _two dogs_ with you. I didn't know you had a dog."

"I don't," Umi snapped. "I mean, I do, but it's not on purpose." The dog in her arms barked sharply, and she flinched.

"Did you manage to ask Kotori-san out?" Honoka pressed, and when Umi shook her head, she looked crestfallen. "What happened?"

"I adopted a dog instead," Umi said shortly.

"Well, keep trying!" Honoka scratched the brown dog behind the ears, and it flopped down across her lap, panting happily.

* * *

Umi marched into the pet shop, fists clenched with determination, and met Kotori's eyes defiantly. "I have a confession to make."

Kotori tilted her head to one side. "Yes?"

"I." Umi fixed her gaze on the wall behind Kotori. "I do not actually know how to raise a dog." There. She'd said it. Now Kotori would probably kick her our or demand that she give the dogs back or both.

"Oh!" Kotori looked surprised. "Do you need help? I can come over to your place – unless you don't want me to, I mean, you can bring them here and I can help you figure it out..."

Umi took a deep breath. "Sure." _Also do you want to see a movie._

"Great!"

"Also––" She coughed, face going hot. "Also."

Kotori raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I want to––"

"Adopt another dog?"

"Yes," she blurted out, then, all in a rush–– "No, that's not what I meant. I mean if you want to give me another one that'd be great but actually I wanted to ask if you wanted to see a movie."

There. Honoka would be proud. She wasn't sure that she'd said to slowly enough for her words to be distinguishable, but whatever. She'd done it.

Kotori looked surprised for a second, just long enough for Umi to start panicking. Then she smiled cautiously. "I'd love to."

"Good," Umi sighed, relieved.

"And then maybe I could come over and make sure that you know how to handle owning dogs?" Kotori asked, and it might have been Umi's imagination, but she looked almost hopeful.

Umi cleared her throat, pretty sure her face was literally on fire at this point. "That'd be great, thank you."

"Good!" Kotori reached across the counter and squeezed Umi's hand. Somehow, Umi managed not to die right where she stood. "I'll be looking forward to it."


End file.
